When We Two Parted

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1816

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

The Image of Cutting

One of the key words in “When We Two Parted” is “sever” (Line 4). This verb has two meanings. The first is familiar: to forcibly cut something, often implying the sudden dividing of the object. This separation can be equal or unequal. Yet sever also means to end a relationship. The word’s Latin roots are akin to those in the word separate—se and parāre—mean “to part” and “to provide or arrange,” respectively. In other words, Byron and Frances had an arrangement that was cut off against Byron’s will, at least in his version of the events of 1813, as written in 1816.

This word also may inform the word “half” in the preceding line. In this case, the word would be less a qualifier equating to “partially” but is instead the result of the verb “to halve” (or to cut). Both these would suggest that the break-up was a wound made by cutting, which has not healed, a fact indicated by how “[i]n silence [Byron] grieve[s]” (Line 26), even though it's been “years” (Line 4).

The Coldness of Dead Love

When a love affair ends, the hurt party tends to believe that the person who ended the relationship is heartless, a common way to deal with the process of feeling betrayed, which allows for distance from the hurtful behavior. Byron indulges in this language in “When We Two Parted” by pointing out that Frances appears “[h]alf broken-hearted” (Line 3) and not as fully engaged in the “silence and tears” (Line 2) as Byron. This concept of her is furthered by other notations of her “cold” (Line 5) cheek and “[c]older […] kiss” (Line 6) when they say goodbye. The blood that pumped life into the relationship is symbolically missing. The contrast is internalized mentally, which Byron metaphorically details: “The dew of the morning / Sunk chill on my brow” (Lines 9-10). The proverbial nail in the coffin is expressed when he later hears gossip about Frances and Wellington: “They name thee before me / A knell to my ear” (Lines 17-18). The image of the funeral bell shows that any hope of revival of this dead romance is gone. The last action, even though it’s imagined, is equivalent to the mourners at a wake, who “greet [each other] / [w]ith silence and tears” (Lines 31-32). Byron knows that he and Frances are never going to be together again.

“To Know” Someone

In the lines “They know not I knew thee / Who knew thee too well—” (Lines 21-22), Byron plays with variations of “to know” in order to suggest multiple meanings. The first “know” (Line 21) indicates knowledge, while the second two references are “knew” (Lines 21, 22), referring to the biblical sense of the word (to engage in sexual intercourse). The line deliberately plays with knowledge and secrecy (who knows what) and is loaded with sexual implication if not fully referencing sex. It is generally taken to mean that Byron doesn’t think those in society are aware that he knew Frances. The line can also mean, however, that society is well aware of Frances’s love affairs, which they know “too well” (Line 22) through gossip but think Byron does not. In this case, the gossips “knew [Frances] too well” (Line 22) by her reputation—and are telling Byron that he’s ignorant of the truth of her character. In both cases, the society members are unaware that Byron is actually a precursor to Wellington.